Forever and a day
by pinkprincessmln
Summary: Jam and Karen future fic
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my 1st fan fiction ever! Was up for a while, and then got deleted because I'm new to all this. But please read and review. I have a lot more Office stuff, but I want to know how this piece goes over before I upload more! Thank you!**

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Chapter one: The Night of Truth

"Don't wait up Hun!" He yelled as Karen walked out the door. He didn't want her to sit there, waiting for him, looking at him with those big puppy dog eyes. He'd thought he had been in love with her eyes, and he had convinced himself it was love, until he saw Pam again. He had forgotten all about her, her hair, her eyes, her smile, the little things about her he had tried so hard to forget, yet when he saw her again all those feelings came rushing back to him, and he knew that she was the only one for him.

He'd kept telling himself that tonight would be the night it would all turn out okay. He'd get rid of that stupid sales associate and get back with the receptionist, who was all he'd ever wanted in the first place; no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise. He was in love with her, the girl he had known since her first day at Dunder-Mifflin, she was the one for him, and he knew it. The one who's Mom had asked to see him. The one who helped him mess with Dwight's small brain. He loved her, always had and always would.

She certainly hadn't forgotten him. She'd spent nights, after leaving Roy, laying awake thinking of him. And now here he was, standing in front of her, calling another girl 'Hun' and unknowingly breaking her heart. Jim went and sat back down. Before he went to talk to her, to bear his soul, he closed his eyes and went back to that fateful day five years ago….


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2: Going Back to the Start

The office was silent the 1st day she walked in. Pam Beesley was early, being nervous about her 1st day and all. She was afraid everyone would be tight-asses, but she assured her self she would be fine. At least if anything went wrong her boyfriend, Roy, had started in the warehouse that day, and she could always talk to him if things went wrong. She sat there alone in the office, shuffling papers and reapplying her lip-gloss, hoping that this job would be a good one. Pam settled into her desk, mixed-berry yogurt on her left side, and computer on her right. She was ready for whatever came her way, anything except the man who walked in the door.

Jim Halpert walked blindly through into the office, thinking this was just another day at work. He had forgotten, and frankly didn't care, that a new receptionist started to day. He didn't care, but if he known his life were about to change, maybe he would have paid more attention. She caught him by surprise. He looked at her and knew that she was going to be the one. He wasn't in love with her yet, but something about her told him she was going to be the one.

"Hey I'm Jim, Jim Halpert." She looked taken aback by his introduction, and for reasons he didn't know it made him blush.

"Hi, I'm Pam, Pam Beesley." He was cute and she liked his smile… _Stop Pam! _She thought to her self, _you're in love with Roy remember? _

"Well, I guess I should warn you, I mean tell you, everything you need to know about this Dunder-Mifflin family. So I'll just tell you, there's Michael, he's the boss, and pretty much a sad and pathetic mess. Also there's Dwight, he's pretty special… you know what, on second thought there isn't really a way to describe our office, so I'll just let you figure it out your self."

She giggled, she couldn't help herself, and he was funny. Then, who should kill the moment but Mr. Scott himself? Jim hurried to his desk, before Michael could make some stupid joke about the two of them, usually Michael tried to behave nicely around new people, but if Jim were involved there would be no mercy for the cute new receptionist.

Later in the day, he walked back to her, wanting to learn everything about her. Wanting to get to know her before any one else could scare her away from Dunder-Mifflin.

"So I see you're a yogurt kind of girl, what's your flavor?"

"Mixed-berry, its my favorite."

"Well then Miss Pam Beesley I don't know if we can be friends, I personally go for the original myself."

" It's only day one," she smiled, " You've got a long time to break me of my awful yogurt eating ways."

"Yes Pam, something tells me I will." He smiled at her, and at her alone, and she relished the attention. If only Roy would smile at her like that. Roy, she should probably get him out of the way, so that she could be just friends with Jim. Tell him before things went to far.

"So…" she heard Jim joke, as she pulled out of her train of thought. "This is a great day for Scranton Dunder-Mifflin, we have two new employees, you and that guy in the warehouse…"

"Roy, his names Roy." Suddenly she was defensive about him. She wanted him to have a good day, wanted him to be liked by every one, including Jim, Jim who would probably never meet him, suddenly she wanted him to be okay with her and Roy. It seemed absurd to her that she need a man she'd only known for a few hours to know about them.

"How do you know that?" He asked her, puzzled by her quick and almost hostile response. He thought he knew where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"Well he's my… boyfriend. I've been dating him since we where juniors in high school."

"Oh," he said, looking forlorn. He liked her, he might have even ended up loving her, and he was sad that it couldn't be that way. But he was just a boyfriend right? It's not like she was going to get married to him tomorrow or something, there was still a chance…

This is the part where Jim liked to stop the memory; he knew what happened from there. His love for here grew stronger while her friendship for him grew in the same way. He just had to mask how he really felt. But every time he looked at her he felt that flutter in his heart, wishing that it would go away, but really praying that it would stay.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Nobody said it was easy,

No one ever said it would be this hard

He was going to do it. Just go up to her and get it over with, it didn't make since for them to doge the truth anymore. He had to tell her, he knew he had broken her heart the last time she tried to open up to him, but this time was different, it had to be.

"Hey Pam, listen, I need to tell you something." He was nervous and it showed. Pam slowly looked up, trying not to let her imagination make the best of this situation. All she wanted him to say was that he loved her, but she couldn't think like that. It would only lead to disappointment and tears, just like most of their conversations did for her, and for him to, even though she would never know that.

"What's up Halpert?" She asked, trying to play it off as if it was no big deal. She looked at Jim and he pleaded, hoped, and prayed that this time this wouldn't end in rejection.

"Pam, I just want you to know, I'm in love."

"Well duh Jim, I've seen the way you look at Karen," _The way you used to look at me, _she thought to herself,_ Dear God how I miss that gaze._

_Why is she getting so defensive?_ Jim questioned her in his head. _I didn't do anything wrong, can't she see it's her I'm talking about?_

"Damn it Pam! It's not Karen, its you, I'm still in love with you, I always have been and always will be." _What's with the anger? Stupid me, I've probably scared her now, but its too late to go back. _He prepared himself, told his stomach to remain level no matter what her response was.

The silence between his statement and her response seemed like forever for both of them. He wanted her to say yes, and she wanted to say yes. But something didn't feel right to her, and she had to think about it. Finally she spoke…

"What about Karen?" She practically screamed, "You haven't ended that little fling yet, have you?"

"Well jeez Pam, you just saw what happened, so I guess not."

"Why? Are you just going to wait around and hear what I say to you before you deal with her? Jim Halpert, if you really did love me the way you say you do you'd be done with her, she wouldn't be downstairs waiting for you and you wouldn't be calling her Hun."

_Ouch_ Jim's heart seemed to say. _It's not even that she's dead on the hurts, it's the fact that this is going to end the way it dose every single time I try this. It's the malice that kills, not the facts. _

"Look Pam," he finally managed to compose himself enough to spit it out, he had to for her sanity, and his too although that wasn't what was important here. "I guess your right, but Pam try to understand, I don't love her, I love you, she's just a meaningless rebound."

"Well," Pam was furious, how dare he get with Karen and let her suffer while he really wanted to be with her? He caused her pain she didn't need; she'd had enough of that from Roy. "Why did you date her then? Why, wasn't I good enough for you?"

"You weren't there! God Pam! I transferred because you broke my heart, don't you get that? You broke my heart, you could've taken a chance on me, but you didn't so I took a chance on someone else. It didn't work out, but it's called a chance for a reason. Don't you see? I never loved Karen, I love you!"

"Look. I know you Jim, and I know in your mind this scene played out where I said 'why yes Jim I am madly and deeply in love with you' and I would have, if you hadn't taken 'another chance'."

"Whatever Beesley, your right this isn't what I wanted. So I'm just going to leave yet again. What the hell ever Pam, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

And as he left they both shed a silent tear for what they'd lost.


	4. Chapter 3 and a half

Chapter 3.5 An Email tries to clear the air

As he clicked the send button he wanted, hoped and desired a response.

DEAR PAM,

Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I know it's not right for me to tell you stuff like that when I have a girl friend, but just so you know, I really do love you. Just give me the word and I'll be there for you, as a friend or as more.

Jim

He sat there all day, and though he got forwards from Michael and messages from Karen about there date next week, she never responded and as he left, they avoided each other gazes.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: You don't know me

You don't wear my chains

He went to his house with her. They'd left the office holding hands; all the while he was trying to pretend that she was Pam not Karen.

They went back to his house, they opted out of the nightclub, Karen said she had a random urge for grilled cheese, and Jim told her he had a Foreman Grill. While she was busy in the kitchen, he sat there and thought. He thought about his life with Pam up to that point. He thought about his love for her, how he thought that love was returned. He made a mental list of the reasons he loved her more than Karen, and went over and over it again and again in his head until he realized what he had to do. He picked up his phone and sent her a text message. It was three words, three short words that conveyed more meaning than anything he had ever meant in his life.

"I need you. "

And he did, he needed her more than he needed anything. He needed her more than life, because he wasn't living unless he saw her face, her smile, her hands, he wasn't living unless he heard her voice, talked to her, heard her laugh. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, to wake up to her face everyday, not Karen's.

Karen…. What about her? He could leave her and hope Pam would take him then, which was really what he should've done in the 1st place.

If only he could just…

The phone rang.

"I want you to want me" blasted, telling him that it had to be Pam. Pam, yeah Pam, his heart fluttered as he scrambled for the phone. Hoping, wishing and praying, she had something good to say. His heart dropped a little bit when he saw it was merely a text message. But he about had a heart attack when he saw what it said.

"I need you too."

"Karen!" He called for her, he knew it would be cruel, and harsh, for this to end this way. But she would have to be blind to not see this coming. And she wasn't, as soon as she heard his voice she knew what was coming. So she took her time coming out of the kitchen, and there she stood, wearing his sweat pants and eating her grilled cheese. She looked at him, and he looked back. He conveyed all he wanted to say to you in that one glance.

"It's over huh?" she asked, trying not to sound to disappointed. "She loves you, doesn't she?"

"yeah" he said, trying not to leap for joy. She was finally his.

"Can I keep the pants?" She asked. He nodded, "you're a great guy Jim Halpert. See you Monday." And just like that she grabbed her purse out from in front of him and walked out. Only when she was in her car did she let show any sing of emotion. She wiped her cheek, picked up her phone and sent Pam a text message.

"Your lucky, he's a great guy and he loves you. Have fun you crazy kids."

He shot back to the couch, scrambled for the phone and texted her:

"When can you be here?"

She texted right back.

"I'm on my way."

Jim looked down and realized he looked like crap. He ran to his room, threw off his sweats, threw on boxers, jeans and a pink polo Pam once said she liked on him. After running his fingers through his hair, the doorbell rang and taking a few deep breaths he turned the door handle.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Slow down baby

We've got forever and a day

He opened the door and there she stood, in a low cut red top and mini jean skirt. Her hair was straight and she looked like she'd been prepared to come to his house for ever, and maybe she had been. He wanted to grab her right then, to host a make-out session on his doorstep. But he also wanted to wait, to see what they night would hold.

"Hey Jim." She was sheepish, and it made him want to protect her, want to hold her and never let her go. It made him love her that much more.

"Hey, okay, I'm gonna be quite honest here, I have no clue what to do right now. We're here, you want me and God knows I want you. There's no one and nothing in our way, it took us 5 long years, but here we are. And I just don't know what to do with myself."  
"Jim, you have no clue how long I've wanted this, and every time I picture it, we don't talk we just…" and as if they where on some sort of invisible timer they leaned in and kissed.

At 1st it was hesitantly, they where both in shock. They seemed to realize that it was real at the same and soon it was more passionate. It was a kiss that made up for five years of lost time. When it was done, Jim stared in her eyes and seeped in the moment. He took it all in, every part of the moment, and every part of her.

Pam stared right back Finally he was hers, she had him all to herself and it was true love.

"Pam I love you."

"Jim, "I've always loved you too."

"When did you know it was love?"

"The 1st day when you made fun of my yogurt choices."

"Pam, when we end up together, I'm not gonna have any mixed berry in my house."

"Lets talk about that later." She smiled, and Jim wrapped her up in his arms. It took him time to realize that she was kissing him back, which was something he hadn't experienced, and it felt damn good. He kissed her better than he'd ever kissed any one in his life, because he felt better about her than he'd ever felt about any one in his life.

They woke up the next morning lying on his couch. She got up 1st and was lying in his arms. She loved it there. She felt safe, warm, protected, she felt like this was the only place she had ever belonged. And she loved the feeling. She loved being in love with him. He woke about 5 minutes later. Trying to remember that great dream. But her gentle coo of 'good morning' reminded him that this was really happening to him, even though it might not seem that way. For a while, neither one of them spoke, they just looked at each other.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked her tenderly.

"I don't know, but we've got forever and a day to figure it out."

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**Thanks for reading! Please Review, It will help me with some other office stuff I have in the works. Thanks!**


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